CHAPTER IV:
WATCHMAKER
Thematic overview:
This
chapter focuses on Dr. Manhattan, the only true super-being in Watchmen. Dr. Manhattan is a unique character in that
he can see the universe on a quantum level.
Nothing, or almost nothing, is hidden from him, not even the
future. That is because Dr. Manhattan
experiences all time at once – past, present, and future. Time, like humanity, is irrelevant to him, a
concept that has no meaning – which is why time is such a central theme in this
chapter.
Moore
& Gibbons attempt to offer us a glimpse of what it must be like to perceive
things in the fashion Dr. Manhattan does.
They construct this chapter with that quantum perception in mind, and do
a brilliant job of conveying, as best they can, this sense of uber-consciousness. This chapter is told in a non-linear fashion,
jumping from past to present to future from one page or one panel to the next –
similar to the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu or TV shows like LOST –
while managing to propel the narrative forward.
It is a masterful job that rewards with subsequent readings, which offer
insights into earlier portions of the chapter and reveal the rich tapestry
produced by Moore & Gibbons.
Another
element of this chapter that heightens our understanding of Dr. Manhattan’s
world-perception is the repetition of panels, whether in full or in part, that
accentuates this sense of seeing everything at once (because if Dr. Manhattan
does see all times at once, it only stands to reason that all of these images
are on a continuous loop). I don’t know
if Gibbons utilized a photocopier to achieve this. If not, his background in architecture, where
plans and drawings must be precise, certainly helped.
Many
of the elements repeated hearken back to this time motif. We see the falling cogs of the watch Jon
worked on the day after the Hiroshima
bombing – an act that prompted his father to push Jon into being a
scientist. The image of the broken watch
– both Janey’s and the one salvaged from the rubble of Hiroshima
after the United States
dropped the atomic bomb – is seen many times.
Both of these watches symbolize, in different ways, the birth of Dr.
Manhattan. And the photograph of Jon and
Janey at the circus – a frozen moment in time – which is left in the red sands
of Mars by Dr. Manhattan, repeats many times, symbolizing the loss of a life
Dr. Manhattan may have wanted when he was still human.
Ultimately,
Dr. Manhattan is the demarcation line in this alternate world. Like Jesus Christ, there was “before” Dr.
Manhattan and there was “after” Dr. Manhattan.
His time brought about a revolution in the world, and his exodus from
our planet ushered in yet another new era.
Dr. Manhattan is the ultimate watchmaker, creating reality by either
being, or not being, present on the world of Watchmen.
Cover Image: Again, the cover image is a more detailed
close-up of one of the first panels within this particular issue. In this case, the cover is a close-up of
panel 2 on page 1.
PAGE 1
Panel 1: The
photograph in Dr. Manhattan’s hand – the photograph seen on the cover – is of
him (as Jon Osterman, before the accident that changed him into this godlike
being) and Janey Slater, his former lover and the woman that exposed him in the
Nova Express interview from the previous chapter. The manner in which Dr. Manhattan views the
photograph – “It is the photograph of a man and a woman” – again shows how far
removed from humanity he has become.
Panel 2: This panel, with its caption stating what will happen, is the first time we as
readers experience the manner in which Dr. Manhattan views and experiences
time. He is seeing the picture in the
sand twelve seconds into his future, but he – along with us, the audience – is
also experiencing it in the present. All
things occur in the present for Dr. Manhattan.
This all-encompassing experience of time – having the past, present, and
future all happen at the same time –
is how we, the audience, will experience this story over the next 27 pages.
Panel 8: “I am going to look at the stars.” The stars are a metaphor for the photograph
he just dropped in the red sand. For us,
and for Dr. Manhattan, the fact that it takes so long for light to travel across
the galaxy means, in essence, we are only looking at “photographs” of stars. We are seeing a snapshot from some distant
past, showing us how the stars looked millions of years ago. But, we are unable to visualize them in their
present state, even if they are still burning today. The photograph in the sand represents the same
thing. A snapshot – formed by the
reflection of light upon film – of a moment in time, a moment in the past, that
will show only what was and not what is.
Panel 9: That previous insight is stated concretely
here.
PAGE 2
Panel 3: In ancient times, the flight of comets
through the sky were seen as bad omens, and the appearance of Halley’s Comet at
this time, as it was actually sailing through the sky in 1986, would be yet
another symbol of the approaching “end of days” within Watchmen.
Panel 4: Jon’s fascination with watch repair and, in a
broader sense, the workings of the universe has been seen in previous chapters
with Dr. Manhattan’s work at Rockefeller
Military Research
Center. In Chapter
I, Page 23 we see Jon manipulating the various parts of a large machine
with his mind (very similar to his watch repair work) and also learn of his
interest in discovering a gluino, which would help advance the understanding of
the infinitesimal aspects of the universe itself.
The
cogs of this watch, and the specific order in which they must be connected in
order for the watch to work, also represent the small, yet precisely ordered,
decisions in Jon’s life – as in all our lives – that lead to him becoming Dr.
Manhattan. And they could also symbolize
the many disparate pieces of the puzzle needed to solve the conspiracy against
“masked adventurers” that has been put forth by Rorschach.
PAGE 3
Panels 2-3: The discussion of Hiroshima
is another symbol of the impending apocalypse (Hiroshima
being one of the two cities upon which the United
States dropped an atomic bomb to bring about the end of
WWII) and it will be echoed by the “Hiroshima
lovers” graffiti we will see later in the book.
Panels 4-5: Jon’s father is about to throw the pieces of
his pocket watch out the window. He
wants his son to go into atomic science.
As we have seen thus far, Jon – as Dr. Manhattan – is a passive
character, doing what others ask of him but rarely taking initiative,
especially with respect – once he changes into Dr. Manhattan – to
world-changing events that he already knows will happen. This is another example of Jon doing what
others tell him to do and failing to choose that which he wants to do.
Panel 6: “Professor Einstein says that time differs
from place to place.” This statement is
an apt description of Dr. Manhattan’s quantum viewpoint of time and the
world.
Panel 7: All three aspects of Dr. Manhattan’s time
reality are expressed in this panel.
Jon’s father mentions his “profession is a thing of the past” while lamenting that his “son must
have a future.” And all of this is taking place in the present of 1945 as experienced by us and
by Dr. Manhattan.
Panel 8: Note, just off-panel – left, that this time
when Dr. Manhattan speaks of the future, we are seeing him in the future as he stands on the glass balcony mentioned in panel
2 of the previous page.
Panel 9: The first two captions are key pieces (or
cogs) in Jon Osterman’s history – points on his road to becoming a
physicist. The cogs are a visual representation
of the puzzle pieces that will make up Jon Osterman’s/Dr. Manhattan’s life.
PAGE 4
Panel 1: Professor Glass represents the “old” with his
white hair, his bowtie, and the slide rule in his pocket, while Jon will become
something completely new as Dr. Manhattan – something undreamt of.
This
is also the first appearance of Wally Weaver, alluded to by Doug Roth of Nova
Express in the previous chapter as having been Dr. Manhattan’s “sidekick” who
died of cancer.
Panel 3: The exchange between Wally and Jon here is a
classic example of irony. Wally: “. . . even [Albert Einstein] couldn’t figure
women!” This is also emblematic of Jon’s
failed intimacies, especially after his transformation into Dr. Manhattan. Jon:
“Well, I guess he’s just human, like everybody else.” This is a statement from somebody who will
soon no longer be human.
Panel 5: This image of Jon looking through the glass
will be mirrored later in this issue, and will also be mirrored in chapter XI when we will see Ozymandias
doing something similar.
PAGE 5
Panels 1-2: These two panels mirror one another. Panel 1 shows Jon as he first enters the
bestiary at Gila Flats. The second one
shows us when he, as Dr. Manhattan, entered the bestiary in the previous
chapter, just before leaving for Mars.
It is interesting to note that Dr. Manhattan comments in panel 1 that
when he is remembering (from our point of view) this past event he feels a
sense of déjà vu as a result of having “seen this place before.” But that time before actually occurred almost
twenty-five years in the future, at the point in the previous chapter when he
retrieved the photograph before leaving Earth.
This is just another example of the quantum point of view Dr. Manhattan
has, seeing the future as past, and the past as present.
Panel 4: We discover that the pictures behind the bar,
from which Dr. Manhattan took his in chapter
III, are put there as remembrances of those who died at Gila Flats Research
Center.
Panel 5: Jon
says, “Other people seem to make all my moves for me.” This is accentuated when Janey replies with,
“Can I get you a drink?” making the first move, deciding for Jon what he might
like.
Panel 6: This image, as with so many images in this
issue, will show up again.
PAGE 6
Panel 2: The remark “killing time” within the caption
box highlights this chapter’s theme in a number of ways. Two of these are:
- It is an allusion to the atomic
bombs dropped on Japan
that killed time for those within the blast area.
- The fact that Janey’s watch
breaks (time killed) results in the killing of time as a linear reality for Jon
Osterman when he becomes Dr. Manhattan, a reality precipitated by Jon’s father
negating his son’s desire to become a watch repairman (killing his dream to work with timepieces).
Panels 2-3: The carnival barker getting Jon and Janey’s
picture calls them “young lovers.” Jon
tries to protest but is unable to get the words out. This is yet another example of other people
dictating Jon Osterman’s reality/life.
Also,
note the balloon flying away in the background of panel 3, which was lost by
the boy in the background of panel 2 (you can see the balloon just below the
word balloon, ironically). This is
something Jon is unable to see in the present, but something to which Jon, as
Dr. Manhattan, will allude to as we progress through this issue, exhibiting how
the breadth of his sensory perception expands after the transformation.
Panel 5: The “Fat Man” that steps on Janey’s watch and
breaks it is symbolic of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, which was nicknamed “Fat Man.” This is the pivotal experience that results
in the creation of Dr. Manhattan. As an
accentuation of that, note the way John Higgins bathes the panel in red,
symbolizing the “death” of Jon Osterman.
Panel 6: “Events mesh together with soft precision . .
.” is a commentary on how Jon and Janey’s relation is being consummated in
1959, symbolized by the precise instruments of the watch in this repeated
image, which would provide for a smoothly running timepiece when put back
together correctly.
Panel 9: This image of the cracked watchface and the
time at which it stopped will be mirrored later in this issue by a watchface
used as a cover image of Time magazine for a remembrance of the 50th
anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. These watches represent the death of
innocence (represented by Jon Osterman in Watchmen and by our world
prior to the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan)
and the birth of a nuclear age (represented by Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen
and the use of atomic bombs on Japan
by the United States
in the real world). This broken watch is
the final catalyst that forces Jon onto his path of godhood.
It is
also ironic that Dr. Manhattan is discussing a variety of points in time over
the image of a broken watch.
PAGE 7
Panel 6: Note that Jon Osterman is now looking through
the thick glass of this intrinsic field chamber from the other side, a reversal
of page 4, panel 5.
Block
Fifteen is the subject of the intrinsic field experiment for this day, and the
fifteenth letter of the alphabet is “O” for Osterman.
PAGE 8
Panels 2-3: The caption, “Good as new,” could be
interpreted as a commentary on how Jon Osterman might be perceived once he has
changed into Dr. Manhattan (A new, improved Jon Osterman!)
Also,
note the hands on the watch – that had previously been frozen when it was broken – segues into a scene of Jon and Janey’s
“frozen hands” on the glass of beer
seen earlier in this issue.
PAGE 9
Panel 3: Again, Moore & Gibbons play the words against
the imagery as the gentleman on the right complains about Castro’s beard and
the countercultural image of Elvis Presley, stating, “I thought I’d just about
seen it all” at which point a brain and circulatory system with eyes
materializes behind them – something far more jarring than Elvis or Castro.
Panels 5-7: In this series of panels we see Jon Osterman
working to reconfigure his body – first, his circulatory system, followed by a
partially muscled skeleton. The third
panel repeats the image previously seen where a younger Jon was working with
the many cogs and gears of his father’s watch in order to put it back
together. This image symbolizes what Jon
is now doing – taking the various “cogs and gears” of his body and putting them
back together in the correct order so that he can have a working body again.
PAGE 10
Panel 1: November 22nd is an auspicious
date in American history – the date that John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in
1963. The use of this date symbolizes
the significance of Dr. Manhattan’s appearance within this universe.
Panel 4: Note that Jon – now Dr. Manhattan and as
close to a god on Earth as there will be – is posed in a very Christ-like pose.
PAGE 11
Panels 2-3: The statement, “All gold comes from
supernovas” transitions nicely into the following panel where Janey has given
Jon a gold ring as a Christmas gift, a gift that is symbolically attempting to
keep Jon grounded within his humanity, in spite of his transformation into Dr.
Manhattan.
Panel 6: Janey says she is scared because “it feels as
if everything’s changed.” With the
appearance of Dr. Manhattan, this is a very true statement, as has already been
demonstrated in Watchmen.
Panel 9: Note again, within the caption box, that Dr.
Manhattan sees everything within the present tense stating, “As I lie [to Janey
in 1959] I hear her shouting at me in 1963; sobbing in 1966. My fingers open. The photograph [in 1985] is falling . . .” To
him, these events all take place at the
same time.
PAGE 12
Panel 1: The comment, “everything is frozen”
represents the photograph about to be taken (a frozen moment in time) as well
as the Cold War, which, as a result of the introduction of Dr. Manhattan, takes
a decidedly different turn from events in our own time. Also note that Dr. Manhattan’s image in the
camera lens, as would be expected, is upside down, a symbol that he has turned
the world and the reality people believed on its head.
Panel 2: Note that at first, Dr. Manhattan wore a full
suit, and the marketing department also gave him a headpiece with a brand
emblem on it. He is still, on some
level, believed to be human, and he probably believes that as well at this
early stage in his “quantum” being.
Panel 5: By taking off the helmet and branding himself
with the symbol of a hydrogen atom – a symbol he respects – Dr. Manhattan takes
his first step away from humanity toward his new reality and says as much when
he tells the photographer, “[The marketing department doesn’t] know what I
need. You don’t know what I need.”
Panel 7: Jon discovers that he has been named Dr.
Manhattan, obviously without being consulted.
Panel 8: The “ominous associations” with the name Dr.
Manhattan to which Jon refers would be the name’s association with the
“Manhattan Project,” which was the name of the project that was formed to
develop the first nuclear weapon during World War II.
This
fact is accentuated by the image in this panel, which we previously saw on page 3, panel 3, of Jon’s father
discussing the front page story the day after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Panel 9: More juxtaposition of words and images as Jon
says, “It’s all getting out of my hands” in reference to how the United States
government branded him after he was introduced, played over the image of Jon
allowing the picture of him and Janey to fall out of his hand, which, in turn, symbolizes what will happen to
their relationship.
PAGE 13
Panel 1: This newscaster looks eerily similar to Clark
Kent who worked for WGBS news in the Superman comics during the 1970s, which is
appropriate considering the fact that this newsman is breaking the story of Dr.
Manhattan’s existence – the Superman of this world.
Panels 8-9: Janey’s comment that Jon has “arrived” is
ironic considering his quantum perception of time, something he emphasizes in
the following panel when he says, “I feel as if I’ve been here all the time.”
PAGE 14
Panel 1: Dr. Manhattan’s comment on the other costumed
adventurers at the charity event in this panel is interesting and humorous and
can also be seen as a commentary on superhero comics in general: “. . . friendly middle-aged men who like to
dress up. I have nothing in common with
them.” Despite the fact that Dr.
Manhattan is part of this “adventurers” fraternity, he feels no connection to
these other heroes, a sign he is becoming – or is already – detached from
humanity.
The
only one Dr. Manhattan finds interesting and might possibly see as a peer is
Ozymandias. This is interesting because
in chapter XI the manner in which
Ozymandias thinks of Dr. Manhattan – particularly by the fact that he always
calls him Jon – shows that this feeling of being a peer is reciprocated,
something that Adrian Veidt finds in nobody else, as far as we can tell.
Panel 2: Yet another example of how detached from
humanity Jon has become is exhibited when he disintegrates the head of a
hoodlum who had pulled a gun on him. The
extreme nature of this act, done with such indifference, is a prime example of
how Dr. Manhattan views humanity, especially considering the fact that the
bullets could not have harmed him.
PAGE 15
Panel 1: The cryptic mention of “Dallas”
in the second caption box refers to November 22, 1963, the day that President
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas,
Texas.
Panels 2-7: The conversation between Hollis Mason and Dr.
Manhattan signified not only the changeover from the “old guard” of the
Minutemen to the “new guard,” eventually, of the Watchmen, but also, again,
highlights the differences between humanity and Dr. Manhattan, while also
accentuating the way in which he has changed, and will change, the world.
And
yet, some horrible incidents of history still occur, as evidenced by
Panel 7: where Dr. Manhattan mentions – in the caption
box – Dealey Plaza,
the spot in Dallas, Texas where President John F. Kennedy was
gunned down on November 22, 1963.
PAGE 16
Panel 1: This
panel segues directly from the final panel of the previous page, wherein Dr.
Manhattan mentioned that “Eighteen months away, an electric limousine is pulling
onto Dealey Plaza,” where JFK was shot.
Panel 3: The painting that Dr. Manhattan is studying
is “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali. The melting pocket watches, in this context,
symbolize the malleable nature of time with respect to Dr. Manhattan’s
perceptions, while the title of the work itself is another way of looking at
Dr. Manhattan’s quantum perception. To
him, all things happen at once, which is to say that he remembers everything
about his life because he has already experienced it, thus he has a persistence of memory.
Janey’s
comment that Dr. Manhattan knows how things work in the world except people and
that his prediction that they will soon make love is wrong is ironic
considering the fact that he does
have terrible difficulty with his relationships and has no empathy for the
human condition, and yet, for all of that, his declaration that they will make
love is correct.
Panel 8: Note
the earrings are a reproduction of the hydrogen atom – Dr. Manhattan’s
symbol. We have seen these before, or
ones just like these, on Laurie in the previous issue. That scene will be “replayed” on the
following page.
PAGE 17
Panel 1: The fact that Dr. Manhattan has chosen to
relieve himself of a good portion of his suit, leaving him with something akin
to a gymnast’s leotard, is a sign that he is moving farther away from
humankind.
Panel 3: As noted above, Laurie – in 1985 – has the
same earrings that Dr. Manhattan gave to Janey in 1963.
Panel 8: Dr. Manhattan’s comment that he is “standing
still” is a remark on how he no longer ages, but is also a statement to the
fact that, in this panel, he is standing still while staring at the stars.
PAGE 18
Panel 2; In this panel, Janey looks older – as she
screams at Dr. Manhattan for chasing a teenager – and the painting in the
background, specifically the melting watch face in between these two, could
symbolize Janey’s time on this Earth melting away.
Panel 6: Note the time on the clock, just a few
minutes to midnight.
PAGE 19
Panel 1: Another sign of Dr. Manhattan’s disinterest in
humanity is the revelation here that he never told his father that he was not
dead, after the military informed him of his son Jon’s death soon after the
accident with the intrinsic field experiment.
Panel 4: Does the fact that Dr. Manhattan thinks of
Edward Blake as “deliberately amoral [emphasis mine]” mean that he looks upon
himself as unable to have any morality because he is no longer human?
The
woman hugging Blake is the one he impregnated and then killed, as readers saw
in Chapter II, Page 15.
Panel 6: Note the drop of sweat that has fallen onto
the smiley face button (just beneath the lowest caption box), just where the
blood splattered on it in the first chapter.
PAGE 20
Panel 1: This first panel – taking up the same space
as six panels in the 9-grid format – is another example of how Moore &
Gibbons are able to utilize the comic page to great advantage. Having worked within the confines of a
9-panel layout, the use of this large panel adds impact to the scene while
putting the nature of Dr. Manhattan’s size into better context. They also planned the chapter out so that
this image would fall on a verso page, hiding the revelation from readers and
enhancing the image’s impact even more.
It is
also worth noting that Dr. Manhattan is now down to what amounts to just a pair
of underwear for his costume, symbolically divesting himself of more of his
humanity.
Panel 2: The remarks of how the Vietnamese wish to
surrender directly to Dr. Manhattan with “an almost religious awe” and the
comparison made to how the Japanese viewed the atomic bomb are two apt
metaphors for Dr. Manhattan. He is a
god, and he is an atomic bomb in human form.
Panels 3-4: Dr. Manhattan’s comment in panel 4 that he
“no longer wish[es] to look at dead things” is not only a remark about him
turning away from the stars (many of which are dead, the images in the sky
being light from those stars that has traveled millions of years to reach us),
but also relates to the previous panel, which is another view of V.V.N. night
when Dr. Manhattan watched Edward Blake gun down (make dead) the woman carrying his child.
PAGE 21
Panel 1: The headline in the background reads: “Third Term For Dick?” in reference to the
Constitutional Amendment alluded to in the caption box, which would allow
Richard “Dick” Nixon to run for more than two terms as President of the United States.
Panel 2: Symbolically, Adrian’s
choice of Antarctica as the site of his
fortress is an example of how removed from humanity he is, similar to Dr.
Manhattan, due to his brilliance, wealth, and power.
Some
more practical thoughts regarding Adrian’s
“Fortress of Solitude”:
In
order to fulfill his plan, Adrian Veidt has chosen the most inhospitable
climate in which to build his base of operations, Antarctica. Here he can be above it all – especially if
one considers the fact that the man after which he patterned himself, Alexander
the Great, lived at a time when “up” on a map pointed toward what is today
considered “south.”
Also,
by isolating himself, he is able to distance himself from humanity in
preparation for what is to come.
And
finally, as a tactical consideration, this would be an almost impossible
position for someone to approach without notice.
Panel 3: Note the small pyramids on the table just to
the left in the background – Adrian’s
corporate symbol.
Panel 4: The ornamentation on the pillars in the
foreground – as well as the decorative markings behind the three adventurers as
they descend the staircase – form A’s and
V’s for Adrian Veidt, showcasing the
hubris that is such a part of Ozymandias.
Panel 5: The exchange between Adrian and Jon,
specifically Adrian’s
remark that scientists are only limited “by their imaginations” coupled with
Jon’s response of “and their consciences” foreshadows what is coming. Adrian’s
plan is a product of his imagination at the cost of his conscience. It is ironic that Dr. Manhattan, so far
removed from humanity, would be the one to note the importance of scientists’
consciences in their work.
PAGE 22
Panels 1-2: Jon’s remark in panel 1: “This deserted planet: it is so wonderfully,
completely silent” transitions directly into panel 2, which is a flashback to
the loud, raucous riots of 1977 and Jon’s observation, “In 1977, a city is
shouting.” Also note, again, how John
Higgins bathes panel 2, one signifying confrontation, in a deep, dark red.
Panel 3: Note
that now – six years on from his last costume change within these flashbacks –
Dr. Manhattan is wearing what is basically a g-string. He continues to wear less and less clothing
as he becomes more distant from humanity and closer to a god.
Panel 6: Laurie’s curse, “Jesus,” is not only an
emotional reaction to Dr. Manhattan’s sudden teleportation of all the rioters,
but is also a commentary upon the Christ-like figure that Jon has become as he
floats behind her.
Dr.
Manhattan uses the same rationalization with regard to the two rioters who
suffered heart attacks upon finding themselves transported inside as was used
in the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Both decisions, and comments, are made at
some distance from reality – in a geographical and emotional sense,
respectively.
PAGE 23
Panel 1: Broadcast of the passage of the Keene Act,
alluded to previously, which outlaws masked vigilantes unless they work for the
government. Note that Dr. Manhattan and
the Comedian are not “x”-ed out, as they are part of the U.S.
government.
Panel 2: Dr. Manhattan’s remark that he cannot be
outlawed when the defense of the United States “rests in his hands”
is ironic since he has left Earth for Mars.
It is also a comment upon the sand slipping through his fingers in the
image on this panel.
PAGE 24
Panel 2: Dr. Manhattan’s description of the sand of
Mars running through his hands – “. . . falling haphazard, random, a
disorganized stream . . . that seems pregnant with the possibility of every
conceivable shape . . .” – is also an apt description of humanity – a
description that will be returned to later and have great consequence to Dr.
Manhattan’s story within Watchmen.
Panel 3: Dr. Manhattan’s remark that “things have
their shape in time . . . some marble blocks have statues embedded in their
future” foreshadows what he creates at the end of this issue.
Panel 4: This flashback is to a scene we have not
encountered in the book, yet it contains a number of noteworthy pieces of
symbolism and imagery. We can see the
signs of impending doom: the clock approaching 12:00, the mmmeltdowns advertisement, the Nostalgia ad, a copy of the New
Frontiersman, and a tattered poster calling for “Four More Years” of
Nixon. Also noteworthy are the products
of these superheroes, the hydrogen dirigibles in the sky and the Veidt helmet
and ball pipe owned by the man in the foreground.
Panel 5: This image is a reversal from when we saw Jon
and Janey walking the boardwalk on page 6. The boy in the foreground, as well as the
balloon off-panel, was visible in the background of that previous image.
Dr.
Manhattan’s remark, “. . . the fat man is already lumbering toward . . .
unwitting destiny” is not only a remark on what happened when the fat man
stepped on, and broke, Janey’s watch, but – with the symbolism of the broken
watch – is also symbolic of the atomic bomb, code named “Fat Man,” that was
dropped on Nagasaki.
Panel 7: The time on this pocketwatch – stopped at the
instant the atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima
– is at the same time as Janey’s watch when it was broken by the “fat man” as
seen on page 6. And these “frozen” hands of the watch face
transition directly into
Panel 8: and the “frozen” hands on that first beer
Janey bought Jon at the bestiary in Gila Flats.
PAGE 25
Panel 4: At this point in the flashbacks – which have
actually caught us up to just a day before the present of this chapter – Jon now wears no costume. It is at this point, as far from humanity as
he can be, that he loses Laurie just as he lost Janey.
Panel 8: Note the red star in the sky – Mars.
PAGES 26-27
Panels 4-5 (p.26) to 1-3(p.27): This is another example of the thought Moore
& Gibbons put into the creation and the storytelling of Watchmen. By utilizing a static image of Dr. Manhattan
floating over the Martian landscape, these two artists allow the fortress Dr.
Manhattan creates to grow up out of the sand, imbuing the imagery with motion,
a difficult accomplishment with a static image on a two-dimensional space such
as a comic page.
It is
also noteworthy that much of the construction of this fortress consists of what
appear to be giant cogs, hourglasses, and arrows (as might be found on a
sundial), all aspects symbolically linked to Dr. Manhattan as a
“watchmaker.”
PAGE 28
Panel 4: The comment regarding the falling cogs in
1945 that “it’s too late, always has been, always will be too late” is an
appropriate description of Dr. Manhattan’s life to this point, and is also a
foreshadowing of what will happen with the heroes’ attempt to stop the
conspiracy come the end of the story.
Panel 5: The Nodus Gordii Mountains, an actual
mountain range on Mars, translates from the Latin to “Gordian Knot,” yet
another symbol of the problem before these adventurers and another symbol of
who is ultimately responsible – the man in the present patterned after
Alexander the Great who cut the Gordian Knot, Adrian Veidt.
Also
note, this panel is an expanded view of the partial image we first saw on page 3, panel 8.
No comments:
Post a Comment